Special Warrant: $40.34B for Apr–May 2025

Summary#

A Special warrant issued by Order in Council P.C. 2025-462 authorizes the government to pay $40,343,209,650 out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund. The warrant is effective April 1, 2025 and covers funding needs for the period April 1 to May 15, 2025. It lets federal departments and agencies keep operating while longer-term budget approvals are completed.

What it does#

• Authorizes the payment of $40,343,209,650 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund to cover immediate government spending needs.
• The total breaks down into $40,261,971,775 in budgetary amounts and $81,237,875 in non‑budgetary amounts for the specified period.
• Funds are allocated across many federal departments and agencies. Major single items in the schedule include:
  • Department of Crown‑Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs: $6,712,428,234 (including $3,237,875 non‑budgetary)
  • Department of Indigenous Services: $6,257,916,341
  • Department of National Defence: $4,511,034,415
  • Department of Health: $3,358,888,144
  • Department of Employment and Social Development: $1,712,060,872
  • Treasury Board Secretariat: $1,100,200,396
• The schedule lists many other departments and agencies with smaller or moderate amounts to cover salaries, programs, and operational costs for the start of the fiscal year.

Who's affected#

• Federal departments and agencies named in the schedule are the immediate recipients of the funds.
• Public servants, contractors, and service providers paid by those departments are likely to see continued payments and operations.
• Program recipients and communities that depend on federal services — for example, health services, Indigenous programs, defence, and immigration services — may notice uninterrupted service because of these payments.
• The general public is indirectly affected because this keeps government programs and services running while Parliament completes its regular budget approvals.

Why it matters#

• This is a short-term cash authorization so the government can keep running at the start of the fiscal year. Without it, some programs or payrolls could face delays.
• The amount is large — $40,343,209,650 — and includes substantial funding for Indigenous programs and core services such as health and national defence.
• Special warrants are routine tools for bridging funding gaps before Parliament finalizes the full budget, but they involve using public money without the usual, full parliamentary approval at that moment.